A red herring is “something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue.” Sad to say the marijuana industry has more than its fair share of red herrings, including the ten that are most prevalent these days:

Despite the headline, I’m a proponent of crowdfunding and believe it can bring innovative ideas to market. Fundamentally, I feel that new forms of financing provide additional access to much-needed capital and bring healthy competition to the lender market, benefits that all entrepreneurs and inventors can appreciate.

WICHITA -- A Wichita city council member is suggesting a change in state law after the Attorney General's recent action against the vote to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for first time offenders.

Councilwoman Janet Miller recommends the state legislature changes its law to say petitioners can't file for a city ordinance that conflicts with state law.

"It does not say that now, so we didn't have any choice," she said.

The Marijuana Reform Initiative went through two petition drives, got enough signatures to get their issue on the April ballot, and Wichitans voted it in. Janet Miller said both the city and activist group followed state law.

Over the past few weeks, all eyes have been on California as the super-parched state endures its fourth year of record-breaking drought. In mid-March, after officials announced new, far-reaching water restrictions for residents and businesses, attention turned towards the worst offenders when it comes to water use. Earlier this week, a host of articles centered on the conveniently easy-to-remember fact that it takes an estimated one gallon of water to produce a single almond.

Portland, Ore.— The legalization of marijuana is already beginning to reshape the economy in Oregon. Entrepreneurs are looking for ways to profit from products and services that support this new industry.

"Every day my scale, my business plan is constantly changing because I'm realizing the opportunity is much larger than I would have imagined," said Noah Stokes, founder and C.E.O. of OmniGuard Security.

Stokes has expanded his existing company by opening a new division 'CannaGuard Security' that specializes in protecting legal marijuana operations.

"In the industry, if you talk to anybody who grows, has been growing or is currently growing, they've all been robbed," said Stokes.

The House and Senate budget proposals would divert marijuana taxes to the general fund instead of to non-profit community health centers that serve the uninsured.

A key part of Washington state's recreational marijuana initiative I-502 is a tax on legal marijuana. Five percent of that tax was meant to fund the state's cash-strapped community health centers.

But neither the Senate Republicans nor House Democrats have called for that in their budgets, which were revealed at the end of March.

AUGUSTA — In a first for Maine’s medical marijuana industry, the state has hired an outside group to inspect growing operations, a move criticized by advocates who say the process hasn’t been well-outlined.

In March, the Maine Department of Human Services signed a one-year, $167,000 contract with the Maine Sheriffs’ Association to inspect growing operations across the state. David Sorensen, a DHHS spokesman, said it’s primarily for “caregivers,” allowed under state law to grow marijuana for up to five patients who have gotten recommendations from doctors to use the drug.

A concerning trend: More calls are coming into the Washington Poison Center about marijuana. But are more people being exposed or are people just more willing to call?

The Washington Poison Center reports more marijuana exposures during the first three months of 2015 than it did in the same period last year.

Through March this year, 72 exposures were reported to the Poison Center compared with 54 during the same period in 2014. Last year, a total of 245 exposures were recorded. Exposures reported include calls from the public as well as healthcare professionals.

Since marijuana was legalized, the number of exposures has grown, according to the center’s data.

DENVER, COLORADO -- Andrew Freedman, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's point person on marijuana policy, recently sat down with The Oregonian/OregonLive to talk about the lessons Colorado offers Oregon and other states grappling with how to regulate marijuana.

Freedman, a Harvard educated lawyer, talked about how the state has confronted challenges posed by the fast-growing marijuana-infused edibles industry, which last year accounted for about 45 percent of sales in the recreational market.

Here are five takeaways from the interview:

Advocating for cannabis reform is energy consuming business.  I’m tired and I’m not alone.

When I became involved in late 2010, I fed off the intense enthusiasm and passion of the cannabis community.  There was a huge push to get an medical marijuana bill passed and via a miracle, SB5073 passed both the House and Senate in April 2011 and went to the Governor’s office where it was gutted and we have been fighting to regain ground ever since.